Absence

Rouzbeh arrives in Prague, far from his troubled family life in Tehran, to research his father’s past. Visiting the flat where his father, a communist expatriate, lived 50 years ago, in the times of Czechoslovakia, he is stopped by a policewoman investigating a recent accident. The current resident of the flat, Vladimir, who turns out to be Rouzbeh’s half-brother, has fallen out the window. Discovering hidden corners of Vladimir’s life and getting closer to his soul, Rouzbeh learns a shocking truth about his father, totally contradicting the image of a hero he had about him. This puts him on the path which led to Vladimir's fall from the window.

Directed by Ali Mosaffa, Absence leans on a strong ensemble — Ali Mosaffa, Leila Hatami, Zuzana Stivínová — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2023.